Attendees at this years National Drive It Day at the Mini Plant Oxford, will get together to celebrate three car models.

On Sunday, the plant is celebrating 50 years of the Rover SD1, 40 years of the Rover 800 and 25 years of the modern Mini, all which have been built at Cowley.

Organiser of the Oxford event Tanya Fields, a vintage car enthusiast, has been putting on events in Cowley since 2014, keeping the 112-year history of the plant alive.

READ MORE: Two flats in city to be purchased by council for social rent

She said: “This year’s event is really for everybody, classic car drivers, the local community, past and present employees.

“The idea of the event is that it’s meant to be really accessible, and people can come and go as they like.”

A 1964 Rover MINI (Image: Tanya Fields)

The focus on Cowley’s car history comes as part of a wider, national Drive It Day, which was created by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs in 2005.

The date is set every year to be as close to the anniversary of the One Thousand Mile Trial, which took place on April 23, 1900, and saw leading motorists racing from London to Edinburgh and back at the advent of the car as we know it.

A total of 83 cars left from Grosvenor Place in London, with just 35 returning 11 days later to complete the historic race.

READ MORE: Banbury driving test candidates hit by cancellations

The federation represents 500 clubs, all of which will be out and about in vintage cars on Sunday.

This year’s Drive It Day is aimed at fundraising for the NSPCC’s Childline Service, with attendees able to donate online or on the day.

There is also an opportunity for visitors to explore the plant and its dedicated museum, with a detailed history of the plants Mini production over the year.

Ms Fields will provide visitors with free tea, coffee and refreshments, the option to donate.

The 2001 Modern MINI’s on display (Image: Tanya Fields)

This year attendees will also see drone footage of cars spelling out the word Mini, with the plant hoping to get as many of their modern cars together to film the video.

Ms Fields added: “It’s so amazing we have the plant’s support for all these years, and they are so enthusiastic about joining in on Drive It Day.

“I think we are the only motor manufacturing production site that joins in with the national event so it’s really nice to see the local community get together.”

Organisers of the event also encourage classic car owners to bring their vehicles, not just Minis.

The driver sustained £86.40 of damage to his vehicle when he hit a 70mm-deep pothole in Blackthorn near Bicester on November 22, 2025.

The pothole, which is outside Malvern Cottage on Station Road, was hidden under floodwater caused by blocked drains.

Oxfordshire County Council has apologised for an error and the authority said steps have been taken to ensure it is not repeated.

The motorist Matthew Kitchen said: “On November 22, I was driving through Blackthorn when my car struck a massive pothole outside Malvern Cottage.

“It was raining, and because the council had failed to clear the drains, despite reports of them being blocked for months, the road was flooded.

“The water acted as a mask, making the 70mm deep hole a ‘hidden trap’ for any unsuspecting driver.”

READ MORE: Cotswold 6-bedroom manor on site of medieval castle for sale

After claiming for the cost of repairs, the 20-year-old received a standard rejection letter from the council, which stated it had no prior knowledge of the pothole and had met its legal obligations through routine inspections.

Unconvinced, the driver made an Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) request and discovered the council had been notified of the pothole on November 19, three days before his incident.

The pothole was also sent to the website FixMyStreet multiple times in the run up to Mr Kitchen’s accident.

The pothole Matthew Kitchen hit (Image: Matthew Kitchen)

The pothole was recorded as a “valid defect” and later measured at 70mm deep.

Oxfordshire County Council policy classifies defects over 40mm as a hazard requiring urgent repair.

Records also showed the council had been informed of blocked drains at the same location a month earlier, but no action had been taken.

Armed with this evidence, the driver challenged the council’s decision, pointing out its failure to act.

He said: “If I hadn’t filed that FOI request, they would have gotten away with it.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire entrepreneurs warned of effect of divorce

“This isn’t just about £60. It’s about the fact that the council is using ‘standard denials’ to avoid paying for damage caused by their own documented negligence.”

 Mark Morrell, otherwise known as ‘Mr Pothole’ said: “The potholes in Oxfordshire are some of the worst in the country due to decades of disappointment from the council.

“The fact of the matter is they simply just aren’t doing their job properly anymore; there isn’t any money or resources for the council to do better.”

The renowned pothole campaigner has formally complained about the dangerous condition of Hook Norton Road in Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council said: “The claim was initially turned down on the grounds that the council had taken reasonable action in respect of the pre-accident pothole report at this location.

“Following receipt of correspondence from Mr Kitchen, a full claim review was undertaken at which stage a settlement offer was made to him as it appeared an additional report was overlooked during the initial investigation.

“We apologise for this error and have taken steps to ensure that this is not repeated.”

The ‘open house’ new cultural programme will take centre stage at the newly completed Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities this Saturday.

The newly built centre at the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter (ROQ) will celebrate the opening with a programme of free events on April 25 for the public.

Inside the centre (Image: Schwarzman Centre for Humanities)

This £185 million project has faced controversy due to its funding coming primarily from Stephen A. Schwarzman, the billionaire CEO of Blackstone Inc.

This company is the world’s largest alternative investment firm.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire entrepreneurs warned of effect of divorce

Mr Schwarzman donated the largest share of the funding, making his donation the largest single gift in Oxford’s modern history.

The new building sits on a site already rich in history linked to philanthropy.

The plot was formerly the location of the Radcliffe Hospital which operated from 1770 to 2007.

It was made redundant following the opening of the larger John Radcliffe Hospital and was sold in March 2003.

The ROQ also has even older historical roots, as archaeological research between 2009 and 2010 uncovered Bronze Age and Neolithic burial grounds stretching across the site and towards University Parks.

The Scottish Ensemble will perform with the Choir of Keble College this weekend (Image: Schwarzman Centre for Humanities)

Further research in 2013 and 2014 revealed a total of 348 paupers’ graves, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, beneath the current Blavatnik School of Government.

The cause of death for these graves includes train crash and printing press injuries, as well as a small number of medical teaching cadavers.

The Schwarzman Centre plans to honour this rich history through information boards in the gardens.

The new centre itself includes impressive public performance spaces such as the energy-efficient 500-seat Sohmen Concert Hall.

The Kate Prince Company’s excerpt of Alice in Wonderland’s The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (Image: Schwarzman Centre for Humanities)

READ MORE: Cotswold 6-bedroom manor on site of medieval castle for sale

This state-of-the-art concert hall comes with flexible acoustics.

The centre also includes a 250-seat theatre, black-box immersive performance space, a white box exhibition gallery, a dance studio, cinema, museum, café and bar, all set in landscaped gardens.

The opening celebration will offer free performances and events throughout the day, including cabaret, poetry and spoken word performances, and local physical theatre.

The day-long event also includes live performances by ZooNation and the Scottish Ensemble.

John Fulljames, director of the Cultural Programme at the Schwarzman Centre, said: “With a free opening celebration including music, theatre, dance, cabaret, spectacle and more – we can promise a chance to connect with both some much loved stories and artists, as well as encounter something new and surprising.”

Following the public opening, the centre will roll out its extensive cultural programme of events, exhibitions, and performances, kicking off on May 5.